Bay Area Girls Rock Camp

Nonprofit Issues:

Children & Youth

Address:

PO Box 22469 OaklandCA94609USA

Mission:

The Bay Area Girls Rock Camp (BAGRC) empowers girls through music, promoting an environment that fosters self-confidence, creativity and teamwork. The BAGRC strives to challenge gender stereotypes, encourage collaboration and tolerance among peers, and provide a comfortable space for people of all backgrounds to express themselves. Through music lessons, workshops, group activities and performance, girls acquire skills that will help guide them throughout their lives.

Results:

We have expanded our programming each year to meet the growing demand in our community for our innovative programming. Our first summer camp, held in 2008, served 65 girls; this year, in our 6th year of programming, we will serve 265 girls. Similarly, our first after school program served 19 girls; this year we will serve more than 100 girls.

Target demographics:

We serve girls between 8 and 18 years old from all over the Bay Area and beyond. Most girls live in the East Bay, and half receive full or partial financial aid to participate in our programs.

Direct beneficiaries per year:

324 youth

Geographic areas served:

SF Bay Area

Programs:

*Girls Rock Summer Camp: a week-long program in which girls learn to play an instrument (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals, or turntables), form a band, a write an original song to perform at the end-of-program showcase.
*Girls Rock After School Program: a 10-week version of the Summer Camp program.
*Women's Rock Camp: a 3-day version of Summer Camp for women ages 19 and up. All proceeds directly benefit our youth programs.

GreatNonprofits News

Reviews for Bay Area Girls Rock Camp

I bought a CD from someone in front of the Berkeley Bowl who claimed to represent this group - the Bay Area Girls' Rock Camp. Included with the CD were promotional materials for the Women's Rock Camp sponsored by this organization. When I got the CD home, and put it in my computer to listen, it was blank! My level of trust in this organization is zero!

How likely are you to donate to this group again?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

We at Bay Area Girls Rock Camp are sorry to hear this. The person who sold you this CD was clearly a scam artist and has no connection to our organization, as we do not distribute our merchandise at Berkeley Bowl.
Thank you for your attempt to support our organization, though!
Sincerely,
the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp Staff Collective

BAGRC is an amazing organization with smart, dedicated, and responsive staff and volunteers. It's difficult to convey how amazing the program is: you need to attend a showcase of camper bands to understand the full impact of the program!

Will you tell others about this organization?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

Girls Rock is the only organization of its kind in the Bay Area. If you are looking for a life-changing experience for your girl, Bay Area Girls Rock Camp will deliver. And if you invite your friends and family to see your daughter perform, their lives will be changed too. To witness the amazing joy, confidence, courage and talent of these girls is to see the future... a better future where more women are leaders and change makers. Rock Camp can really do that? Yes it can!

Will you tell others about this organization?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

BAGRC is an exceptional program that empowers girls and women to speak up, think critically, and express themselves through music production and collaboration in bands. Throughout camp, girls learn about image versus identity, self defense, media analysis, and how to create a strong message through songwriting. As a band, girls learn to perform to a large audience amplified on stage, one of the biggest highlights of camp that recognizes and validates the expression of young women.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

My 9 year old daughter participated in a BAGRC program this summer and it was amazing for her on so many levels. Her musical ability on drums exploded! She gained tremendous musical confidence, and is comfortable playing with different people in a variety of settings. She writes songs now, and it's a way for her to express feelings ranging from frustration to joy. She learned how to productively deal with conflict and create art in a team environment. She has struggled in the past to fit in, and now she seems so much more comfortable with herself.

This is just an incredible program for girls. It arms them with so many tools as they enter a difficult phase of life. If you cannot afford it, there is financial aid.

How do you feel you were treated by this organization?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

My daughter has been to Girls Rock Camp the last 2 years. She loves it.
Ok, so it sometimes seems a tad disorganized but somehow it all comes together & it's amazing!
I know she wants to go back for sure!
Next year she is hoping to be a mentor.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

Bay Area Girls Rock is an amazing and unique non-profit located in Oakland. In the course of a week most girls learn an instrument, form a band, write a song and then record it and perform. That alone would be impressive, but it's the self esteem building, community creation and overall positive influence that is truly awe inspiring.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

Girls rock camp is one of the hippest, most inspiring non-profits aimed towards social equity in the Bay Area. The staff and board are fully committed to listening to the needs of parents and campers. The volunteers are highly experienced musicians and educators. Girls are proven to have increased confidence after leaving rock camp!

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

Staff, volunteers and campers all unite to create an incredible atmosphere. Rock Camp is about empowerment, but it's also about dealing with conflict and growing from it. I have had the pleasure of being involved with Rock camp since 2003 when I volunteered at the original Portland camp. Since then it is growing and we are so lucky to be a part of it.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

I have been working with the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp since it kicked off three years ago. I have had the privilege of watching campers discover their own strong voices, unique selves, and that they are not alone in this world. It has been fun watching friendships form,and experiencing the joy of seeing the positive impact Girls Rock Camp has had on the lives of returning and former campers. They navigate this challenging world with remarkable confidence , dignity, respect, and care. I am constantly in awe of the ways the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp continues to positively impact so many lives and communities-- including mine.

I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...

seeing returning campers walking taller in the word, with more confidence, a stronger voice, an ability to feel good about saying no and saying yes to situations they must navigate, watching volunteers experience profound boosts in their own confidence levels and desire to strengthen the positive aspects of their communities and bonds with the women in them. This list goes on and on....

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

Give it even more funding and, following the requests of so many campers, create a sleepaway session.